Today, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the third largest country by area in Africa and has approximately 70 million citizens. As in other industrialized nations, pension and other social entitlement programs have become a major economic and political concern as the baby boomers approach retirement age. Belgium's economy was immeasurably improved by the capture of Congo, says Pierre . It was the first time a Belgian head of state had done this in that way a paradigmatic turning point in the countrys historical policy. He was assassinated by his political opponents in Katanga in January 1961 with the help of Belgian and US secret services. or Now we need that - a recognition that something terrible happened . It will never replace the millions who were killed, but it will be something. This problem is addressed through elaborate water-transfer systems involving canals, storage basins, and pipelines. However, this was much less than the payment Europeans received for the same work. It's because of him that the Congolese were slaughtered, that children had their hands and feet cut off. The United States established diplomatic relations with the DRC in 1960, following its independence from Belgium. 10 Horrifying Facts About The Genocide In The Congo Free State. Charleroi is in the center of a vast coal basin, called Pays Noir. The Belgian Industry claims 19% of the labor force; and agriculture claims 1%. Large plantations (growing cotton, oil palms, coffee, cacao, and rubber) and livestock farms were developed. * In 2020, Belgium's current king, Philippe expressed deep regret for the "suffering and humiliation" inflicted on Congo during its 75 years under Belgian rule. King Leopold II's Exploitation of the Congo From 1885 to 1908 - STARS In the letter, the king expressed his deep regret for the colonial injustices committed in the Congo. Belgium also exploited the land and people of Ruanda-Urundi, the Belgian Congo's neighbor to the east. No, but it would be the first step. The Negative Legacy of Belgium Colonialism in Africa - ThoughtCo People say it's different - that Leopold was in the past, that he didn't even go to Congo. [20] Foreign companies in Belgium account for approximately 11% of the total work force, with the U.S. Belgium's brutal colonialism: Riches that came from Congolese blood Richard, Katherine Schulz. Any changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel. In the end, Leopold's own ministers took his private fiefdom from him and his vast territories became the Belgian Congo - to distinguish them from the French colony on the other side of the Congo River. But he demanded and received a huge cash payment and other benefits from Belgium for "his great sacrifices made for the Congo." Again, the Congo people had no say in their fate. Reuters. Under the reign of terror instituted by King Leopold II of Belgium (who ran the Congo Free State as his personal fief from 1885 to 1908), the population of the Congo was reduced by half with some estimates suggesting that as many as 10 million Congolese lost their lives. Belgium is the world's largest producer of begonias, planting 60 million tubers per year. Belgium was, of course, the colonial power in Congo until 1960, and links between the two countries remain strong. It was established by the Belgian parliament to replace the previous, privately owned Congo Free State, after international outrage over abuses there brought pressure for supervision and accountability. The richest countries following are Norway, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden. The Ghent University, the second largest university of Belgium by number of students, and a number of research oriented companies are situated in the central and southern part of the city. The Free State's concession system was soon copied by other colonial regimes, notably those in the neighbouring French Congo. Against this grim backdrop, in 1982, Prime Minister Martens' center-right coalition government formulated an economic recovery program to promote export-led growth by enhancing the competitiveness of Belgium's export industries through an 8.5% devaluation. After the takeover, the country was renamed Congo Belge, but the interests remained the same. Many European countries wanted to colonize distant parts of the world in order to exploit the resources and "civilize" the inhabitants of these less-developed countries. Belgium has a free-enterprise economy, with the majority of the gross domestic product (GDP) generated by the service sector. The Belgian Government reacted to the 1973 and 1979 oil price hikes by hiring the redundant work force into the public sector and subsidizing industries like coal, steel, textiles, glass, and shipbuilding, which had lost their international competitive edge. Interior Flanders is devoted to grazing. However, most of Belgium's government leaders and citizens did not want to spend the exorbitant amount of money that would be needed to maintain distant colonies. Since the first official census by the Belgian authorities in 1924 put the population at about 10 million, it means that the King Leopold and the Belgian administration in the colony were responsible for the deaths of around 10 million Congolese. Belgium's trade advantages are derived from its central geographic location and a highly skilled, multilingual, and productive work force. Belgium Government Spending 2023 Data - 2024 Forecast - TRADING ECONOMICS Joseph Conrad set his popular novel Heart of Darkness in the Congo Free State and described European abuses. According to the EuCham ranking the richest European country is Luxembourg with USD 90,790 per capita. read more. With limited education about Belgium's rule in Congo, there is little awareness of the brutality of its colonial past in the broader society. 8. Bureaucrats and politicians see it every day as they whizz round the Schuman roundabout. Unrest increased in the depression years (193136) and during World War II. Jean-Claude Ilunga helps to run a support group for the Congolese community in Belgium called Les Amis du Congo Solidarite. It has since developed a highly-developed transportation infrastructure made up of ports (most notably the Port of Antwerp), canals, railways, and highways, in order to integrate its industry with that of its neighbours. Unemployment also has been less of a problem in Flanders, which has experienced significant growth in service industries, than in Wallonia, where the negative consequences of deindustrialization remain. The Congo is a massive country, the size of Western Europe. These buildings were paid for by King Leopold II. It was the first time that a member of the royal family had addressed the Congolese people with such words. Definition and Examples. These smaller unions tend to specialize in one profession or economic sector. The government has balanced the budget every year since, until 2009 where it ran a deficit of about $25 billion. Marchal, the Belgian scholar, estimates that Leopold drew some 220 million francs (or $1.1 billion in today's dollars) in profits from the Congo during his lifetime. https://www.thoughtco.com/overview-of-belgian-colonialism-1434364 (accessed May 2, 2023). Belgium Colonialism. Here are some facts about Belgian rule and the two countries' difficult bilateral ties since. When Leopold was 65, he took the 16-year-old prostitute Caroline Lacroix as his mistress. Ten experts were tasked with discussing several issues, including possible financial reparations and a stronger anchoring of Belgian colonial history in education curricula and society. Premium Digital includes access to our premier business column, Lex, as well as 15 curated newsletters covering key business themes with original, in-depth reporting. 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Belgium controlled several territories and concessions during the colonial era, principally the Belgian Congo (modern DRC) from 1908 to 1960 and Ruanda-Urundi (modern Rwanda and Burundi) from 1922 to 1962.It also had small concessions in Guatemala (1843-1854) and in China (1902-1931) and was a co-administrator of the Tangier International Zone in Morocco. Updates? The manufacturing sector accounts for about one-sixth of the GDP. For relations to truly improve, the Belgian state must acknowledge its historical responsibility more strongly. Then, King Leopold II came to power in 1865 and believed that colonies would greatly enhance Belgium's wealth and prestige. The photo was taken in 1904 at a missionary outpost in Baringa, in what was then called the Congo Free State. personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to How should Belgium reconcile with its brutal past? In the interior, gold, diamonds, copper, tin, cobalt, and zinc were mined; the colony became an important source of uranium for the United States during World War II. Retracing Belgium's dark past in the Congo, and attempts to forge Zeebrugge and Ostend, the main fishing ports, send a modest fleet of trawlers to the North Sea fishing grounds. But he profited enormously from the Congos raw materials. The horrific consequences of rubber's toxic past - BBC News But my life is here, in Belgium. Today, Belgium is one of the richest countries in Europe. The Europeans burned African villages, farmland, and rainforest, and kept women as hostages until rubber and mineral quotas were met. [23] The origins of the union can be traced back to the "Anti-Socialist Cotton Workers Union" that was founded in 1886. 9. Maybe burnt down your village. One of the founding members of the European Community, Belgium strongly supports deepening the powers of the present-day European Union (EU) to integrate European economies further. King Leopold sent the explorer Henry Morton Stanley to the region. Getty Images. But in Congo his influence was much more malign. Mr Mobutu invited journalists to witness him swearing in a new batch of ministers, a new collection of snouts at his government's trough. DRC was known as Zaire from 1971-1997. [19] Belgium's economy has capitalised on the country's central geographic location, and has a well-developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Julien Bobineau received funding from the Bavarian Elite Network in form of a PhD scholarship, provided by the Federal Government of Bavaria (Germany). Refineries, located principally in the Antwerp area, process crude petroleum. These efforts were moderately successful, but they left Belgium with one of the largest budget deficits in relation to gross national product in Europe. Most farms in the far northmaritime Flanders and the lower Schelderange in size from 25 to 75 acres (10 to 30 hectares), some of which are under pasture, while the remainder are cultivated, with wheat and sugar beets again the dominant crops. In April 1884, seven months before the Berlin Congress, the US became the first country in the world to . From 1885 to 1908, Belgian King Leopold II took control of the Congo. Antwerp is the first diamond market in the world, diamond exports account for roughly 1/10 of Belgian exports. Moreover, Belgium has a number of important manufacturers of machine tools and specialized plastics. The Belgian Government encourages new foreign investment as a means to promote employment. The King made 70 million Belgian francs' profit from the system between 1896 and 1905. African stakeholders were not involved in the negotiations. Constitutional Rights Foundation The scandal which eventually shamed the Belgian Government to bring to an end Leopold's 20 years of despoiling the Congo was the discovery that his agents had been using forced labour to harvest rubber - a highly sought-after commodity at the time. An Israeli attack late on Monday killed one soldier, wounded 7 others including two civilians and put Aleppo International Airport out of service, Syrian state media reported early on Tuesday citing a military source. European adventurers experienced great difficulty in exploring and colonizing the Congo River Basin, due to the region's tropical climate, disease, and the resistance of the natives. The Antwerp-based BASF plant is the largest BASF-base outside Germany, and accounts on its own for about 2% of Belgian exports. Links to more From Our Own Correspondent stories are at the foot of the page. Belgium - Economy | Britannica Eighty percent of the crop is exported.[35]. It is the first time that a Belgian . Joseph Kasavubu was elected the first president, with Patrice Lumumba as prime minister. The federal government has not managed to present balanced budgets in recent years and public debt remains high, at 99% of 2009 GDP. Following independence, the country saw a mix of unrest, rebellion, secession movements, a long dictatorship, armed conflict, and foreign . "I sense a lot of nervousness in Belgium regarding a formal apology as Congo might use it to demand financial reparations", Nadia Nsayi, a political scientist who specialises in Congo, told Reuters. Intensive cultivation is confined to gardens and small farms, which are usually smaller than 10 acres (4 hectares). But once again, the money to pay for this symbol of grandeur was squeezed from the Congo. Despite the heavy industrial component, services account for 74.9% of Belgium's GDP, while agriculture accounts for only 1% of Belgium's GDP.[20]. Inhabitants were forced to pay taxes and grow cash crops such as coffee. This colonial racism continued in everyday life until the middle of the 20th century. The global net fortune has grown by 7.6% to a total of 128.5 billion euros. The most important legacy of colonialism in Rwanda and Burundi involved the Belgians' obsession with racial, ethnic classification. Tourism is increasingly becoming a major employer in the local area. Belgian colonists collected and smoked these severed hands to preserve them for later counting and recording. ThoughtCo. Except for its coal, which is no longer economical to exploit, Belgium has few natural resources other than fertile soils. [24] The second biggest union is the socialist General Federation of Belgian Labour (ABVV-FGTB) which has a membership of more than 1.5million. Exports in Congo decreased to 15031.30 USD Million in 2019 from 15966.80 USD Million in 2018. On 1 May 1998, Belgium became a first-tier member of the European Monetary Union. The first major step Belgium took in internationalizing its economy occurred when it became a charter member of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952. When Belgium emerged from World War II with its industrial infrastructure relatively undamaged thanks to the Galopin doctrine, the stage was set for a period of rapid development, particularly in Flanders. The country achieved independence 52 years later, in 1960. And we have never heard a word of apology from the Belgian government. They did not have much contact with Europe, but in the 1400s and 1500s one of the kingdoms had contact with Portuguese explorers. The corridor between Antwerp and Brussels also has emerged as a major manufacturing zone, eclipsing the older industrial concentration in the Sambre-Meuse valley. This and other socialist unions became unified around 1898. Assistant Professor, Julius Maximilian University of Wrzburg. The Congo has been utterly cursed by its natural wealth. However, Leopold II is still commemorated with statues and monuments across Brussels. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. "Belgium Colonialism." I have family there and I can't be indifferent to the suffering I see there. Despite being the second-largest country in Africa, with an approximate area of 2.3 million square kilometres (890,000 sq mi), and being endowed with rich natural resources, the DRC is the second-poorest country in the world. * In 2020, Belgiums current king, Philippe expressed deep regret for the suffering and humiliation inflicted on Congo during its 75 years under Belgian rule. The second stage is that it is absolutely necessary that children are taught the reality of what happened in Congo. The vast majority of these people (80%), work in the service sector. However, many countries and . Foreign investment led to considerable growth in the engineering sector of Belgiums economy in the late 20th century. Jean-Claude Ilunga lives in Belgium but is Congolese by birth and says it is time for the former rulers to apologise to Congo. Belgian Congo, French Congo Belge, former colony (coextensive with the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) in Africa, ruled by Belgium from 1908 until 1960. People ask me about the statues. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. I have lived in Belgium for 40 years now. There will be, in my humble opinion, a little respect that will become entrenched in people's heads. Events Leading to the Scramble for Africa, Congo Free State Rubber Regime Atrocities, The Dutch Empire: Three Centuries on Five Continents, What Is Colonialism? U.S. Relations With Democratic Republic of the Congo The economy of Belgium is varied and cannot be understood without taking the regional differences into account. Belgian Congo, French Congo Belge, former colony (coextensive with the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo) in Africa, ruled by Belgium from 1908 until 1960. Among other criteria spelled out under the Maastricht treaty, the Belgian Government had to attain a budget deficit of no greater than 3% of GDP by the end of 1997; Belgium achieved this, with a total budget deficit in 2001 (just prior to implementation of the Euro) that amounted to 0.2% of GDP. Due to its pristine medieval city centre, Bruges has become a popular tourist destination. With regional devolution, Flanders, Brussels, and Wallonia are now courting potential foreign investors and offer a host of incentives and benefits. From the 1950s, a broad movement formed in Congo Belge to protest against Belgian foreign rule. read more. Leopold - as king of a small, newly-formed European country - told his advisers that Belgium must have an empire and by 1885, he had one. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. The country has been a member of a variety of supranational organizations, including the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU), the Benelux Economic Union, and the EU. With exports equivalent to over two-thirds of GNP, Belgium depends heavily on world trade. However, as nuclear reactors generate more than half of Belgiums electricity, the use of water for cooling in nuclear power stations is much more significant. It is an eye-catching centrepiece for an elegant park. Millions of Congolese are said to have been killed or worked to death . In 2004 the port of Antwerp was the second largest European sea port by cargo volume, and the Antwerp freight railway station accounts for one-third of Belgian freight traffic. The government, in an effort to reverse the near-depression levels of industrial output that had developed, subsidized ailing industries, particularly steel and textiles, and offered tax incentives, reduced interest rates, and capital bonuses to attract foreign investment. There were two major coal-mining areas. Flanders' unemployment levels are generally only about half those of Walloon. It was established by the Belgian parliament to replace the previous, privately owned Congo Free State, after international outrage over abuses there brought pressure for supervision and accountability. The man's name was Nsala and his wife and children had just been killed. The official Belgian attitude was paternalism: Africans were to be cared for and trained as if they were children. Stanley's expeditions opened up the Congo for exploitation by . Each has helped shape the other. It culminated in the Berlin Conference. Belgiums involvement in the political assassination was concealed until a commission of enquiry, launched by the Belgian parliament in 1999, found Belgium partially responsible for Lumumbas death. To combat the slow decline of this industry, which has been dependent on the handiwork of an aging population of skilled women, specialized schools were established in Mons and Binche to train younger workers. However, many countries and individuals had learned of these atrocities by the early 20th century. Rubber Production Leopold used the rubber money to develop Belgium. Belgiums fishing industry is relatively small; almost all fish are consumed within the country. Being the de facto European capital, its economy is massively service-oriented. Things quickly got out of control. I was born in Congo, and I also feel Congolese. Belgium's riches came at the cost of so much pain in the Congo - so much suffering and misery. Due to this brutality and European diseases, the native population dwindled by approximately ten million people. The Congolese, who by then had some rights such as owning property and voting in elections, began to demand independence. The most deciding event in precipitating the war was the genocide in neighbouring Rwanda in 1994, which sparked a mass exodus of refugees known as the Great Lakes refugee crisis. Leopold's army mutilated or killed any African who didn't produce enough of these coveted, profitable resources. Under the mantle of propagating Christianity and trade in Africa, Belgium exploited Congo's riches, including rubber. Leopolds reign over the Congo Free State, however, has become infamous for its brutality. The second shift happened much later. This page provides . Inflation under 5% is in green. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. The Belgian economy also is inextricably tied to that of Europe. On January 1, 1999, Belgium also became a charter member of the European Monetary Union, paving the way for the introduction of the euro, which became the countrys sole currency in 2002, replacing the Belgian franc. If youd like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. His rules weren't about working for a fair wage - oh no, this was forced labour, where the workers were treated like slaves. The answer is that it comes from Congolese blood. Belgium's brutal colonialism: Riches that came from Congolese blood, Jean-Claude Ilunga says Belgium needs to say sorry for what happened in Congo. $578 billion (nominal, 2021 est.). Belgian Congo | History & Facts | Britannica African resistance challenged the colonial regime from the beginning. Next to these specialized unions there is also the Neutral and Independent Union that rejects the pillarization of the "big three" trade unions (their affiliation with political parties). Queen of the Congo. With the onset of a recession in the 1970s, this system became an increasing burden on the economy and accounted for much of the government budget deficits. In 2021, Belgium's public debt was about 108% of the country's GDP. However, agricultural activity in Belgium centres primarily on livestock; dairy and meat products constitute more than two-thirds of the total farm value. They are trained in so many areas, but they are unemployed. During your trial you will have complete digital access to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages. The Belgian Congo (French: Congo belge, pronounced ; Dutch: Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960.
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